Kuki bodies condemn Kamjong arson
Source: Chronicle News Service

Kangpokpi, April 24 2025: Kuki-Zo civil society organisations vehemently condemned the attacks on Gamphal and Haijang villages in Kamjong district's Sahamphung sub-division on Wednesday morning.

In a statement, Committee on Tribal Unity (CoTU) denounced the act of arson and violence, which it claimed were carried out by miscreants from surrounding Tangkhul areas.

Further stating that the attack is part of a wider pattern of violence that has left the region deeply fractured, CoTU warned other communities not exploit the crisis arising out of "two years of unrelenting atrocities and religious persecution" against the Kuki-Zo community, primarily by the dominant Meetei community, to push their own political agendas.

"It is deeply concerning that elements from neighbouring districts are now echoing the Meetei-majoritarian ethno-centric narrative, targeting the Kuki-Zo community with violence and impunity," the statement read.

CoTU also slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's perceived indifference to the ongoing turmoil in Manipur, contrasting his prompt reaction to a terror attack in Jammu & Kashmir with his silence on Manipur.

"The Prime Minister aborted his Saudi visit to respond to an attack in Pahalgam, yet remains deaf to the cries of hundreds of grieving families in Manipur," it stated.

Even under President's Rule, CoTU noted, constitutional authorities failed to act.

"With central oversight in place, the Governor still could not protect the villagers of Gamphal and Haijang, who were forced to flee as their homes were engulfed in flames" .

CoTU emphasised that a Separate Administration is the only constitutional safeguard for the Kuki-Zo people.

"In the face of systemic negligence, targeted violence, and state-backed tyranny, our call for a separate administration is not just political - it is existential," the statement concluded.

Meanwhile, Eastern Kuki Chiefs' Association (EKCA), Kuki Students' Organisation (KSO) Kamjong, Kuki Women Union (KWU) Kamjong, and South Eastern Kuki Youth Organisation (SEKYO) said that the attackers were armed with sophisticated weapons.

"On April 23, armed assailants stormed the peaceful villages of Gamphal and Haijang, setting homes ablaze and spreading terror.

This was not just an attack on property - it was a gross violation of human rights and a direct strike at the heart of communal peace," the Kuki organisations said in a joint press release, describing the incident as a calculated and cowardly act of terror against peaceful communities.

The organisations demanded immediate and impartial investigation and swift prosecution of those responsible.

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